Giffords Will Attend Her Astronaut Husband's Space Shuttle Launch

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Wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will be at the
launch of the space shuttle Endeavour in support of her astronaut
husband, mere months after being shot in the head, according to
news reports.

In an interview with Katie Couric for CBS News, NASA astronaut
Mark Kelly, who is the commander of the upcoming flight of
Endeavour to the International Space Station, said Giffords has
been cleared by her doctors to attend the launch on Friday (April
29). [ Photos:
Shuttle Endeavour's Last Mission ]

"I met with her doctors and neurosurgeon, and they've given us
permission to take her down to the launch,"
Kelly told Couric. "We're excited about that."

CBS released a clip from the interview, which will air in its
entirety tonight (April 25) on the CBS Evening News.

Giffords was
shot on Jan. 8 after a gunman opened fire at a community
event with constituents at a supermarket in Tucson. Six people
were killed and 13 were injured in the attack, including
Giffords.

In February, Giffords was transferred from a hospital in Arizona
to a rehabilitation facility in Houston for a lengthy recovery
program. The move allowed Kelly, who lives in Houston and works
at NASA's Johnson Space Center, to continue training for his
shuttle mission while also remaining close to his wife as she
recovered.

In the months following the attack, Kelly spoke about
Giffords' desire to attend the launch, but said that her
medical condition, and the progress of her recovery, would
ultimately dictate the final decision.

When Couric asked about Giffords' reaction to the good news,
Kelly said, "I think she said, 'awesome,' and pumped her fist one
more time."

Endeavour is slated to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in
Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 3:47 p.m. EDT (1947 GMT) on Friday.

Endeavour's STS-134 mission will be the last spaceflight for
NASA's youngest orbiter before it is retired from service. For
the upcoming mission, Kelly will command a six-astronaut crew on
a 14-day mission to deliver spare parts, supplies and a $2
billion astrophysics experiment to the space station. Four
spacewalks are also planned.

President Barack Obama recently announced that he and his family
will also be in attendance for Endeavour's final launch.

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